But one of its policies has been distinctly unpopular and generated a lot of controversy. When G+ launched, it had a strict policy of no pseudonyms, and Google was willing to enforce that by shutting down accounts that used fake names. Google’s stated position was that it wanted people to use real names online, although opinions varied among critics as to whether Google wanted G+ to be an identity management system rather than a social network or whether this was simply about requiring real identities to build profiles for advertisers. Popular bloggers such as Violet Blue led the campaign against Google’s identity policies in the nymwars, pointing out that not everyone could safely disclose their real identities online – and some people’s real names violated Google’s policies anyway.

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